NUTRITION Q&A
A Sugar By Any Other Name...
BY:HELEN RASMUSSEN, MS, RD, FADA
Q: There is a strong history of diabetes in my family, so my doctor advised me to eliminate unnecessary sugar from my diet. Why is any sugar necessary? How can I know if there's sugar present in my food? And what's my nutritional state if I do eat sugar?
A: Sugars are simple carbohydrates—molecules ranging from a one-sugar unit to pairs of bonded sugar units—used by our bodies to generate quick energy and also complex carbohydrates—larger units containing starch and fiber—that provide energy over a longer term. Overall, carbohydrates function as the energy source to cells in the body, and glucose, a simple sugar, is the end product in the breakdown of all carbohydrates the body requires for energy. It is the primary energy source for the brain. Sugar, in the form of glucose, is always present in the body. However, you need not eat any food containing refined sugar to provide the body with glucose; your body is able to convert complex carbohydrates into the fuel your body needs.
How can you be a sugar detective? Words on a food label that indicate the presence of added sugar include sucrose (the refined white sugar in your pantry which, in the U.S., mainly comes from sugar cane plants and sugar beets). Other sugar words include: dextrose, glucose, maltose, fructose (fruit sugar) and lactose (milk sugar). High-fructose corn syrup is used in soft drinks and other sweetened drinks. Honey, evaporated cane juice, rice syrup, molasses and barley malt are touted as "natural sweeteners," but the bottom line is that these are also added-sugar sources.
If you buy sugar-free candy, cookies and chewing gum, you will come across sugar alcohols (or polyols) on the label. These ingredients-including sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, mannitol and maltitol-are slightly lower in calories than sugar and do not promote tooth decay or cause a sudden increase in blood sugar. Sorbitol—often used in candies, chewing gums and cough drops—can have a laxative effective when used to excess.
Sugar substitutes, or artificial sweeteners, have been successful alternatives to sugar. Sweeter than sugar, less is added to give food the same sweet taste as sugar. The Food and Drug Administration has approved four sugar substitutes for use in foods: saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K and sucralose. Two of these artificial sweeteners come with warnings: saccharin, which was previously banned because it causes cancer in animals, is now being sold with the recommendation that consumers use it in moderation; and aspartame, which contains phenylalanine, an amino acid that can accumulate far more in the blood of individuals who have a genetic trait that prevents them from metabolizing it.
Three new sugar replacements may show up on your food label: fructooligosaccharide (unfortunately the approved term for a food ingredient list) is the fancy word for inulin, a compound found in wheat, onions, Jerusalem artichokes and bananas; tagatose, a naturally occurring product manufactured from lactose, a milk sugar; and trehalose, which is made from cornstarch and has the same calories as sugar, but is half as sweet. You may see tagtose on the label for frozen fruits or vegetables as it is used to preserve texture and structure of foods.
As to your nutritional state, you are smart to start investigating your calorie sources, particularly added sugars. A calorie is a measure of how much energy you take in and how much energy you expend. A food that contains a lot of energy has a lot of calories. If you take in more calories than you use in your daily activities, you will gain weight. Refined pure sugar is a high-energy food with a poor nutritional profile, and is also referred to as an "empty calorie" food. Sugar displaces important nutrients and fiber from your diet and should be avoided.
An ideal diet is one that is abundant in foods containing vitamins, minerals, amino acids, good fats and fiber while being very low in foods that only contain calories.